The Ruins Studio by Lily Jencks + Nathanael Dorent

Designed by Lily Jencks Studio in collaboration with Nathanael Dorent Architecture, Ruin Studio is a private house, built within the existing stone ruins of an 18th-century Scottish farmhouse. Measuring 180m² (1,938ft²), this futuristic house was completed in 2014.

To build within the walls of a ruin enforces the idea that our contemporary occupation is just another layer to be added to the rich history that every site possesses. Ruins Studio takes this simple observation to guide each decision, from the use of geometry, to the use of material and colour.

To maintain the integrity of the ruins the building envelope follows the pitched roof and dimensions of the existing ruin gable end. This is the image of the house archetype, well known to everyone. To provide a counter-point to the irregular stone walls this envelope is clad in black EPDM. Its crisp dark silhouette is a quiet background to the ruins story of weathering and use. Within thisenvelop sits the shell, a curvilinear enclosure with soft shadows -a strong juxtapose with the other layers. Openings in the existing ruins walls define the location for windows, which, in turn, form the curves of the interior shell. Seen together these layers are like a geode, each one a surprising opposition to the layerthatsurroundsit, as if grown over time.